KASL

Library Newsletter

 

Google Search Operators to Try

Three Things I Like About This Video

1. Slight Accents make everything better.

2. This presentation is more interesting to watch than the normal tutorial because the audience can see Phil Bradley talk as he is presenting. He may not be all that pretty, but he is visually interesting.

3. The content is focused and unusual enough to make an audience want to know what's next. I know just enough about Google search to know that I don't really know much about Google search, but these operators were ones I had never heard about before.

Sixth Graders Featured in National Publication

 

Back row: Students show the national magazine spread featuring photos of projects they created.  From left: Grace Rowland, Max Dutton, William Weiner.

Front row:  Lydia Miller (left) and Jasmine Bates display certificates of achievement naming them a statewide winner in a library contest.  Their project is currently on display at the State Library of Kansas in Topeka.

 

Five Sterling Grade School sixth graders have photos of their creative projects featured in the December 2012 issue of School Library Monthly, a national education journal for school librarians, teachers and technology specialists. Jasmine Bates, Lydia Miller, Grace Rowland, Max Dutton and William Weiner were honored at a school assembly last Friday for their outstanding projects that will be seen by educators around the country. 

The students' projects were created as part of a contest sponsored by the Kansas Association of School Librarians (KASL). Last spring, the current class of sixth graders decorated cereal boxes with original slogans describing what they value about their school library. Created during students' weekly library skills classes, the boxes were cut to open like a book and decorated with artwork, clip art, photos, a slogan, and a paragraph describing how they use and value their school library. 

"Students showed their creativity through writing and artwork and also used technology tools," explained district librarian Amy Brownlee. "They especially loved using the digital camera to take photos." 

Local judges chose the box created by Bates and Miller as the school-wide winner, which made it eligible for the state contest. Brownlee took their entry to the state school librarians' conference in Salina in October and recently learned it is a statewide winner and is currently on display at the State Library of Kansas in Topeka.

The editor of School Library Monthly learned about the contest and contacted Brownlee asking her to write an article describing the project so it could be duplicated by other librarians. She was also asked to submit photos of her students' work. "I am so proud of these students and pleased that they are receiving recognition for their work," Brownlee said. 

The goal of the project was to encourage students to advocate for their school libraries by using technology skills, Common Core writing skills, and creativity. An online photo album featuring photos of the SGS student projects is available online.

Amy Brownlee

K-12 Library Media Specialist

6th Grade Reading Teacher

Sterling USD #376